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Giving is what living is all about

200015 Feb

COMMENTS

Stewardship is not just about money. It involves faithfully managing everything that God has placed in your charge for the furtherance of His Kingdom on Earth. Charitable giving is a powerful principle of God, designed to be a blessing both to the giver and the recipient of the gift. It is the natural action of a generous heart that desires to express the love of God within it.

Why give?

Because we love people.For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life (John 3:16). What motivated God to sacrifice His son was not a sense of indebtedness, or obligation. The love He had for us compelled Him to give of what He had in order to meet our most pressing need. God desires that as we grow in our relationship with Him, we become more and more like Him. If love for others was what prompted God to give, then should it not be our primary motivation for giving as well? With spiritual maturity we should become less attached to our possessions and more concerned with meeting the needs of others.

So that we can be a blessing to others. God made a covenant with Abraham, And I will bless you...and so you shall be a blessing (Gen. 12:2). This is our covenant as well.

To preach the Gospel. It takes money to reach the lost with the Gospel message, to pay the salaries of pastors and missionaries, and others who shepherd the flock. Outreach evangelism - radio, TV, and Internet - costs money. The huge Billy Graham crusades, which have resulted in the salvation of untold thousands, have been made possible by the faithful financial support of believers who were determined that the Gospel would be spread. If we are committed to spreading the Gospel, then we have no choice but to support it with our finances.

It is a biblical principle. There is a force of financial blessing that is released in our lives by the giving of our money. Paul is discussing arrangements for a financial collection that is to be taken for the relief of impoverished saints living in Jerusalem. The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully (2 Cor. 9:6). Our giving is the seed which awaits a harvest at some later date. Our level of harvest will be directly related to our level of giving.

To fill a void. As important as money is, it will never fulfill the void that people have inside them. Ever since Adam fell, and sin entered the world, man has been seeking to find fulfillment in external things. He has tried to rebuild the Garden of Eden by his efforts, looking to find satisfaction in pleasures, possessions, and status. The void can only be filled with a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Nothing else will satisfy the inward yearnings of our souls.

From Achieving Your Financial Potential by Scott Kays, copyright (c) 1999. Used by permission of Doubleday, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, N.Y. For online information about other Random House, Inc. books and authors, see Internet Web Site at http://www.randomhouse.com.

Scott Kays, CFP, is president and founder of Kays Financial Advisory Corp., which manages more than \$55 million for more than 200 clients. He hosts investment seminars for major organizations such as IBM, Bell South, AT&T, and Cox Enterprises. He authors the KFAC Market Newsletter on the economy and financial markets. Scott is also an ordained minister and has been an associate pastor for five years. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and four children.